Accenture launches platform for cos to keep people employed in COVID-19 crisis

Mumbai, Apr 14 () A group of leading companies from multiple industries has formed 'People + Work Connect', designed by Accenture, that brings together firms laying off or furloughing staff with those entities in urgent need of workers.

This employer-to-employer initiative is free for businesses to join and participate, Global professional services company Accenture said in a release here.

To date, participating companies include ADM, Baxter, Blue Apron, Cargill, Frito-Lay, Lincoln Financial Group, Marriott, Mondelez International, Nordstrom, ServiceNow, Walmart and Zenefits, it said.

Additionally, more than 250 companies are expected to onboard over the next week and the platform will soon add public sector jobs, it added.

The business-to-business platform enables companies that are best positioned to rapidly share the experience and skills of their laid-off or furloughed workforces to connect at no cost with other companies on the platform that are seeking workers.

The platform is global and cross-industry to maximise the ability to deploy people with similar skills in one industry into other industries where jobs are being created.

Ultimately, this will shorten the complex, often lengthy cycle of unemployment for people.

The analytics-driven platform pools non-confidential and aggregated workforce information by categories such as location and experience.

The CHROs who are leading People + Work Connect came together to create a collaborative, inclusive community to help put people back to work quickly in areas of new opportunity.

"By providing real-time visibility into which companies need people and where, People + Work Connect is designed to lessen the economic and societal impacts of the virus and help us work together to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people," Accenture chief leadership and human resources officer Ellyn Shook added. SM BALBAL